The Ark: A New Dawn
by Morgothrond
Summary: Based off an RPG session I run. Humanity has destroyed themselves. From the ashes, monsters ans heroes rise. It is a New Dawn for mankind and... other things. Who will prove the stronger?
1. Chapter 1

**The Ark****INTRODUCTION **

Blessed are the works of the ages-and long before the invention and development of nuclear weapons-there had been those who prophesied that the world would end because of man's wickedness. Such prophesies were always believed, no matter how many times they had been proved wrong in the past. There was a wish for, as well as a fear of, punishment.

Punishment.

Blessed are the works of man, it is said. Whose works then, must we consider… damned?

Once nuclear weapons were invented, the prophecies gained plausibility, although now they were couched in lay terms rather than religious ones. Evidence, the more convincing because governments tried to suppress it, proved that the world could be ended at the touch of a button.

If an inhabitant of one of the few parts of the world that did not change was asked to tell what happened that destroyed our world, he'd say that no record remains that can shed some light on what happened. Those old enough to remember it are long dead, and the legends they pass down from father to son speak of turmoil in the lands, earthquakes and floods. The moon turning red and the big fire that consumed it all.

The golden encyclopedia describes in detail the astral body that came too close to our planet. The tidal waves, earthquakes and magnetic energies it unleashed in our planet causing it to shift its axis. Vegetation died and sprung anew, climates shifted, froze, burnt and dried out. The golden knowledge can fill you with that information. Nevertheless, it cannot say who unleashed the fire of god upon mankind. Perhaps it was god Himself, as the select few who can access the knowledge believe, a dying caste: "The myriad souls for one god" cult.

Was it a result of the definite and terraforming effects that the meteor left in its wake? Was a short circuit caused by a flood somewhere inside a nuclear silo responsible for the death of the planet? It is true that by the end of the XXII century mankind lacked no reason to obliterate itself.

Punishment.

Then came the meteor, the changes to the face of the earth. Whole continents swallowed by the ocean and others risen from the depths. After the effects had waned, after decades of tsunamis and earthquakes, mankind joined together, and found itself made strong by this near extinction event, the United Nations grew stronger in its presence in the governments of the world. Against all odds, the human race had hope, had endured, and lastly, while recuperating, had witnessed, in the climax of their joyous celebration, the huge and monstrous mushroom shaped clouds of fire and brimstone hanging in every major city left in the world for a moment, suspended, frozen in an instant of horror and realization, but above all in doubt. Mankind died with a question on its lips.

Then the fire consumed it all.

Blessed are the works of men.


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER THE 1ST:**Out of the darkness, come new threads of light.

Centuries have passed. The count of time was lost to all but certain individuals of mankind. The world is reduced to a blighted landmass of extreme climate wilderness. The few specks of civilization left are concentrated in small society groups known as Communes, a group of which belong to and make up a Municipality. Municipality above all, Municipal law is all that stands preventing living beings` annihilation of one another and in every commune the strong arm of the Municipal guard can be seen.

Far away tales of massive living beings gathering and inhabiting enormous buildings that scrape the skies are spread across the land, usually accompanied by the menacing name of "The Seven pure" whose incommensurable armies march through the wilderness looking to absorb Municipalities in to their massive walls, keeping the breed of the human race pure. The most rumors and hearsays speak of one of these metal and concrete places in these parts of the world: "New Dawn, The Iron Maiden" it is named by those who claimed to have glimpsed its massive towers and buildings from afar.

The seven pure's armies scourge the land in search of certain individuals that have recently made appearance in stories of bars, back alleys and slums. Stories of babies with more limbs attached to their small bodies, functional limbs; children with psychic abilities, men and women endowed with great physical strengths, or horrible deformations alike. Reports from the few health centers to the municipalities and cities authorities confirmed these stories: unclean mutations have begun to appear among the slums of the populace in the communes. Though no one has ever seen one directly, or never heard from one in the cities.

Grexas Stormborn and Xephos Estonium are two of these individuals; the remains of the terrible radiation forces or unknown energies have slowly begun their work in their organisms. They know that they are wanted, and might even in fact, be hunted for annihilation. New laws recently have outlawed births of these individuals when detected, and have made legal the hunt for sport of these mutants.

In recent months, Both Grexas and Xephos have been living in the St. George Commune, part of the Scott municipality. Once settled down, their confidence began to grow that they may not have been detected and are safe.

That is, until one evening, when their respective counterfeit and highly illegal but very popular solar transmitter – receiver (STRs) crackled with life; noises and static. Among the static both of them, at the same time in their respective living quarters could hear a voice, a most tranquil voice speaking directly to them, as if the owner of the voice was standing right in front of their faces: "bzzzzz… We know WHAT you are…. Bzzz… if you want to live… bzzz… meet at Mc gruffy's bar… bzzz… tonight for a proposal… bzzz… highly rewarding…bzzz… or death…bzzz". Spiked and spurred not only by the hidden menace of the message, both mutants head to the bar that night, located in the center district of the St. George commune, among the run down shacks and low buildings that make up the entire commune.

Grexas arrives at Mc Gruffy's just after sundown. The chill of the wind reminds him of the nonexistent energy necessary to heat up the commune houses, except those lucky enough to find some viable wood.

The commune of St George is nothing but a few streets aligned in a squared block pattern, with a couple streets running fairly straight and parallel to each other and another couple intersecting them. The buildings are squat, with round edges, in an attempt to preserve heater's energy, back when they had it, most likely. In some parts of the commune, Grexas can still see the ruins of what surely were massive walls of granite and concrete; now some stand about waist high, while others stand for four to ten stories, empty husks of a forgotten people.

The walk to Mcgruffy's is not long rom his living quarters and Grexas' does not even feel the distance to the bar that stands in the centre of the city, surrounded by several tall remains of building walls and the tallest of the squat constructions in the Commune. Some of those buildings even had three stories and a window or two. The night is chillier than most and a fine coat of greyish, watery ice starts to float about, like an icy, clammy mist.

Mcgruffy's bar is house of one of the wonders of the region, an enormous red neon sign that flashes all above the door. Grexas looks down and he sees there, next to the door, the corpse of a frozen to death old man, the red neon giving him a sort of life glow. The man stares at him with blank, almost guilt ridden eyes. Uncaring, he steps in to the warm atmosphere of the place.

The door slides close behind him, on gritty guides that squeal. Some sort of power runs these doors, but the Magistrates don't tell much about this sort of stuff. As long as it works, they say, we don't care where the power comes. And don't care about the frozen people on the streets either, it seems.

The place stinks. The bodily odours of about twenty patrons scattered in small plastic tables or at the bar mix up with the odours of recently distilled liquors, brews and ales.

The lighting is provided by a red neon sign outside that shines through the windows. Inside, small kerosene lamps dot the place. thoughthe south east corner of the place, right hand from the entrance, is darkened as if the Kerosene lamps were shut off.

At a glance, Grexas notices about six or seven occupied tables, leaving another dozen or so, empty.

His attention is drawn immediately to the middle age woman dancing effortlessly among the tables. No one else seems to be paying a second look her way though. Right next to him, around three other individuals enter the bar with the same puzzled look as you assume you must have. One of them he has seen before, a strange and solitary man with some sort of hunched back; Xephos Estonuim he believes he is called. The other two, he has never seen before, but they look strangely... odd.

The sounds of conversation are muffled by a juke box playing somewhere behind the bar…

Its an old tune, the sounds are scraped and filled with static, the jukebox plays "Paint it black" an ancient classical tune, very popular at social gatherings since last year when it was heard at a Commune's council festival.

From the shadowy corner at the corner of the bar, a thin, gaunt man wearing a long, leather open coat with a hood, faded jeans and a mean looking fire arm strapped to one side of his hip starts walking towards Grexas and the other strangers that came in to the bar. The man appears ready to talk.

Grexas takes one last look around before heading over to a table near the gaunt man, Trying to keep attention off himself, he attempts to move with stealth as he takes a seat and watches the other strangers. One of the other men, the strange looking ones, begins to hastily walk around the bar trying to find someone who can shed some light on the Gaunt man by listening to peoples conversations. After a while, he walks up to the bartender and starts whispering to him. Grexas notices that they gesture towards the gaunt man that tried to greet them; though he cannot help but feel a certain amount of suspicion given the nature of the message he received. Now that man talking to the bartender and the other three men, could it be possible that they had received a similar message.


	3. Chapter 3

Nosko Quickfoot; thief, scoundrel, at least that is how he likes to think of himself; walks on the streets of the St. George commune. He had received a very strange message earlier, and now walks wondering if its not a trap prepared to finally catch the terrible and most unpleasant thief that is he. He chuckles a bit under the gas mask he always wears, at the idea of someone catching up with him; and then shivers for a second as he remembers the rumours about them guards having some sort of mechanical contraption that is like a giant titan shaped like a man. Nonsense he thinks as he steps over some dead old geezer and enters Mc Gruffy's bar.

Mr. Quickfoot surveys the room and immediately notices some other men coming in alongside him. One of them tries to be inconspicuous and sits at a nearby table; a fool for sure, for every soul in the bar is no looking directly at him. Another man goes off inside the bar, and starts to walk aroind the table, apparently looking for something; He knows that man, its Zajeyu, a very strange man whom he tried to rob once and got caught in the act. They had become something alike of acquaintances after the merry chase he had given. He had better avoid him. Then, out a shadowy corner on the bar, a gaunt, thin man steps up to the entrance and appears to be expecting some queue to talk to him and possibly some other men. Maybe they all got this weird transmission; that would explain how that fool Zajeyu could catch up with him that one time.

Nosko is not too sure about the Gaunt man coming up to him. Lifting up his gas mask, being careful to only reveal his mouth and nose, he takes a big whiff of the room. Not sensing any danger, he replaces the mask and walks over toward the table keeping his eye on the man. He stops just short of the table and waits. Behind him, Nosko can see another man come in to the bar. He has a most unique hunch under a trench coat and he looks just as puzzled as Zajeyu over there by the bar, talking to good old Mc Gruffy about the gaunt man. apparently he is a stranger in St. George, so he might be the one that sent the message. He turns his look at the man with the hunched back, and he is nowhere to be seen now. Curious, a very strange looking hump, uh? Mayhap this is gonna get crowded with muties today.


	4. Chapter 4

Seeing Grexas move to a nearby table trying not to draw attention to himself, Mc Gruffy, the barman, greets him with a loud "Hallo Grexas!", and the middle aged woman brings him his usual drink. Some of the patrons lift their mugs to toast the known man in the bar.

The gaunt man turns to him and smiles a treacherous smile. He waits by the door for the other strangers; he wonders at Zajeyu coming in to the bar, then walking past him; Do they not think that I already know who they are? The thin gaunt man thinks to himself, a bit weary at seeing Zajeyou stroll in to the bar and walk around a bit, apparently trying to gather as much info as he can, no doubt about him. The gaunt man can hear some one in a table telling him that they do not know who that skinny fellow is, but he might come from them highlanders; there is trouble brweing there, the drunkard had said to Zajeyu, The Magistrate of the Atholl Highlanders, in the Atholl Commune, accepts high bribes for exceptions and favors when dealing with mutants. They say he is a mutant himself. No wonder then they are all running from that dratted place.

Then, the thin gaunt man rises his head and smiles at Nosko, his eyes are tired and reddish. Mr. Quickfoot loks in to those eyes and decides to walk in to atable with him.

The atmosphere of the bar shifts and it feels more tense as they do. The gaunt man speaks to Nosko: "I was hoping that more of you got my transmission, but I thank you for coming. this will both save you and me our very lives and souls. Ill try to use the Solar Transmiter reciever once more, to get a hold of some of the others, please take a seat" He says with a smile on his face, then waited for the devices on the mutants present in the bar start to crackle. They both head back to a table.

In the corner of the bar that was not properly lit, Zajeyu from the bar, manages to catch a glimpse of cold steel under a man's jacket. a man sitting in the dark apaprently purposefully.

On his table, Grexas kicks himself under the table for failing at his attempted subtelty before standing and moving over to join the gaunt man and his fellow. Grexas looks him over trying to get an idea of his intent; then he rearranges his tail under his long hooded jacket, hoping no one notices it and wrapping it around the grip of his gun. He then introduces himself at the two men. "Grexas Stormborn, I believe you some how have my frequency and contacted me". Then the other man in the table speaks up. "Nosko Quickfoot here, and I too was contacted, was it you?" Both mutants turn to the gaunt man. He looks them over in silence, placing his transmitter on the table. "Await, some instants or not, if thee see fit, for mischief is afoot; and we may yet will be joined by consanguine of thee." Grexas and Nosko stare at each other, exchanging confused and worried looks. "Pardon me but..." Grexas begins, "shh..." interrupts the strange thin man and nods at the bar, where they could see a man grasping a tonfa stick from under his jacket.

Noticing that the man in the darkened corner was packing a weapon, and he looks like the type that wouldn't want to talk **and **he seems to have an interest in the two men on the table sitting with Nosko, Zajeyu cautiously approaches him in to the shadows, after all, Nosko was somewhat of a friend of his, and this here bar has been peaceful, even when that Grexas character gets smashed on whiskey. With Tonfa in hand, he reaches the man in the corner, grabs him by the collar of his jacket and start demanding answers: "What business does an armed man has sitting in the corner of the bar **In my **peaceful commune?, Answer now if you will not be beaten senseless by this here friend of mine" he screams waving his tonfa stick.

Nosko and Grexzas realize that the man Zajeyu is threatening is not alone. Waving his tonfa, he has not noticed that from the shadows, another two men emerge their pimple ridden, flabby white faces, the sound of a crossbow being pulled can be heard. "Look alive!" screams Nosko after his friend and then turns to the strange man with the pale face, "you will tell me how do you know who I am." he says before getting up from his table.

Zajeyu, with Tonfa in hand looks about him, not sure what to do when he realizes he is in the sights of a mean looking crossbow. The man he was intimidating with a tonfa started to shout back at him "Listen here buddy, were paid to do this and its got nothing to do with you, so you better back off! It's not our fault they want this guy there dead! And you will be soon too for the look of things if you do not let me go right now and start walking out!"

Realizing his life would be in danger if he were to try and engage the men in combat. Zajeyu begins to form another plan of action. He might try and reason with the men hoping to find if they are after him and the others he entered with. Curious about the man's statement he lets go of him, and arranges the man 's tattered collar. then with a very diplomatic voice he begins to ask "Gentlemen maybe we could settle this in a civil manner without resorting to violence, now would you be kind enough to explain what you meant by "we were paid to do this?""

Nosko stands next to his table, ready to help his friend if needed. Behind him, he could hear that Grexas character talking; "So answer, who are you and how do you know us, I can tell you mean us no harm, I'm funny that way, but you better start spilling the beans my friend." When speaking, Grexas stared at this weird man, and could not help to feel that he was in dire need; also, he sensed dome sort of hidden power, like this thin scrap of a man could kill him with his thumb, if he wished it or was inclined to do so. After a brief pause, the man that had contacted, apparently all of them, begins to speak ; "I just know who you all are by name, not faces. My name is Armande" Grexas thought there was a lie in there somewhere. Nosko turns from the situation at the corner and turn to the two talking men.

Armande carefully takes off a small leather satchel he was wearing around his torso, and places it on the table. He caresses the brown leather and starts to take something out of it, while speaking to Grexas; his voice is grave and there is a glimmer in his eye, a sternness and a strangeness about him that sends the feeling that you should be careful with this person, "As I said in the transmission I sent, we know what you are," he lowers his voice and uses a strong emphasis on the word, that sends shivers down Grexas' spine, "mutants. And you have been targeted already, I know this. LOBOs and the Seven Pure are coming for you". He glances around the bar. Another song starts to play on the juke box, a romance ballad. Behind him, at the back of the bar in the shadowy corner, the middle age woman starts dancing to the song next to a table with two men in it, they seemed for a moment to be looking very intently at Armande then pretended to pay attention to the dancing girl.

"And", he continues, "you have also the attention of those who can resist the incoming tide! And they will need your… talents, so to speak. There are an incredible number of mutations, all of them degenerative, horrible to contemplate. And its happening very fast. But also there are those whose mutations provide them with certain new opportunities and ways of life." He pauses for a moment. "there are those who would gather these mutants to resist fascism and tyranny, they exist near the Municipalities major Communes, and of course in the big city. They are called **The Triple Spiral**, and they also have you on their minds."

Grexas takes a swig of his drink and looks at Armande. "So what you're saying is, we're being hunted and you're here to help us?" Grexas takes another swig, and relaxes the grip on his gun with his tail. "tell me more about these Triple Spiral people." with a sigh, Armande responds, "Yes, help, help each other, yes?. look, the Third Spiral is a fledgling group resisting the army of the Seven Pure, the LOBOs. That is all we, my people and I, know, and they promised to…" Armande hesitates a bit "…to help my people too, and your people, I mean, your kind. But to do so, we need some... thing, delivered in safety, and secrecy. A small group of let's say, talented individuals might accomplish this." As he speaks, he takes out a Golden sphere out of the brown satchel and shows it to Grexas and Nosko.

At that moment, time seemed to elapse for the two mutants in the table with Armande. Nothing seemed to matter, only the Sphere, and it seemed to speak to them, whisper to them in secret languages they did not understand but comprehend the meanings behind. It spoke of new worlds, opportunity for all life forms, survival. A New Dawn.

Armande was still talking, "...that this must go to The Triple Spiral representative in the Glassgow Municipality. And he will pay you, handsomely, once the job is done. And indivertibly, there might be other... perks". Meanwhile, patrons in the bar start getting up of their seats, and moving uncomfortably around the room. Grexas and Nosko suddenly return from whatever reverie they had been. They notice this commotion and turn around looking to see what`s going on.

On the dark corner, Zajeyu is negotiating with the three men, one of them still holding a big mechanized crossbow. The three men, after seeing Zajeyu back away, stop paying attention to him and resume to stare closely to Armande and to dial in a frequency on their Solar transmitter-receivers "Here it is, he is got it, inform the Cap'n". Zajeyu hears this and follows the stare of the men back to the table with Nosko and the other two. The man that was being intimidated by Zajeyu stands up "Good boy, you might get in to the cut if you help us," he says in a very kind fashion, "We need that golden ball, and to kill some sort of alien, bu that has not shown, unless it be that white fellow over there holding the ball. But the snipers outside will take care of that bit of work, we here, are for the golden ticket". Now, the other two men also draw crossbows and start loading arrows on them.


	5. Chapter 5

A sense of wrongness fills Grexas with unease, he looks around the room paying special attention to the dark corner trying to figure out what has everyone so disturbed. From his place, he can barely see a group of men talking and starting some commotion. He readies his grip on his pistol even tighter.

On the darkened corner, realizing that civilians life's were in danger at seeing the men load their crossbows, Zajeyu begins to form a plan to help everybody out of the bar in one piece. He sighs, and approaches the men once again. "Gentlemen, maybe for a small reward I could assist you. As an officer of law enforcement I could make up some story to hold there attention while you prepare for the kill" he gulps, hoping they buy his story; so he can get near the target men and warn them about the danger they are in, and for the look of things, that golden sphere they just exchanged must not land on these thugs hands. He then tries to move some of the patrons out of the way while talking to the armed men, hoping they do not notice his ruse, while they are sizing him up, and trying to figure out if he will be of assistance.

With a quick movement, the thug that was speaking to him before draws a nasty looking machete and smiles a grim ridden smile. "So you try to mess with the privateers, eh sonny?" The man says smiling a very nasty toothless smile. Zajeyu is frozen on his steps, trying to figure out what to do next.

On the table in the middle of the bar, Armande continues to talk to Grexas and Nosko; "But before we continue", Armande says to Grexas, "I will try once more the frequency of the other person I have in my records to be targeted." Armande pulls out a device that looks similar to the solar receiver-transmitters that Grexas, Nosko and Zajeyu use and in which they received the threatening transmission to make this appointment. He tunes in a few dials and a crackling buzzing sound starts to emanate from both the one Armande has in his hands and the one that Zajeyu, in the corner by the three men with drawn crossbows, has in his pocket. The man with the machete looks even angrier "He is with them!" He shouts and raises the machete.

Grexas looks about him, and finds out that the dark corner has three men standing in it, with not very friendly faces and what appears to be some nasty crossbows pointed at them and a machete being raised at a man with a crackling radio in his pocket. One of the men with crossbows speaks up to raise his voice over the music. The song "Paint it black" is no longer playing, now the tune that the middle aged woman was dancing to is an old ragtime tune that became very popular At St. George's festivals: "Yellow submarine". The middle aged woman stops her dancing and is now staring at the crossbows in shock. The rest of the patrons slowly back away and out of the bar. Mc Gruffy, the barman, ducks under his bar counter.

Realizing that he has very few options to escape, Zajeyu pushes the man with the machete in front of him with all his might hoping to hit either of the two men with loaded Crossbows. At the same time, Grexas stands and draws his pistol from beneath his hoody. He flips the table in front of him hoping to take some cover behind it. He crouches down, and looks to Armande then Nosko. "GET DOWN!" He tells them. His shot aims true, hitting one of the crossbow wielding goons with his Five-seveN shot, The bullet tears through him like a knife through butter and the man falls down dead, overturning some nearby tables. Next to Grexas, Nosko picks up the table and begins to charge in towards the fight in the corner. Ripping a leg off the table he tosses the rest to the side and comes in with a side sweep on one of the men left standing; in a flash of speed, his blow connects a sweep against the head of the man holding the machete, making his head turn almost 90º. Still, after the blow, the man recovers, wipes the blood from his face and swings his machete at Nosko, the slash of the weapon makes a gash in Nosko's chest; "That is definitely going to leave a scar", thinks Nosko while staggering at seeing gushes of blood pour down his clothes.

The surviving man holding a crossbow regains his aim. He can't believe some one in this slum would be carrying a fire arm! He screams in rage "Give us the sphere or die, under the heels of the privateers boots!" Then he fires an arrow at Grexas. The arrow impacts the table behind of which the mutant with the Five-seveN hides, and he sees the arrow point break the table just inches next to his face. Next to Grexas, Armande sees the blood beginning to run and while crouching behind the overturned table, he silently begins to make strange hand gestures and movements. Grexas stares at him, sensing some hidden power in the pale, gaunt man.

The barman emerges from behind the bar counter holding a very large shotgun and screams "The next person that does something more than lie on its face or leave the bar gets it!". Outside, screams from the fleeing patrons can be heard, along with engine sounds. There is a vehicle parking. At seeing what the bartender is holding Zajeyu calmly speaks to Mc Gruffy, "ok we will leave, if you can just assure us these assassins are not going to follow us" Grexas flips the safety on his gun and holsters it. He looks over to the bartender. "Hey McGruffy, do you have any medkits around here? I might be able to fix up my buddy here." He says pointing at Nosko. Its ok Grexas I'm fine, I have had worse" Nosko says. "sorry about your table" he says to the bartender, and transfers some credits to his standing tab. "This should pay for the damages", he says and finishes the transaction.

Mcgruffy looks at the trio and then at that gaunt strange man, Armande, who keeps making hand gestures.. "Maybe I can help you out, but What about him," he says pointing at Armande with the shotgun. At that exact moment, a light flashes from Armande's hand and the last man holding a crossbow, suddenly goes limp, his hands relaxing, and his face a distorted mass of agony. A second later, he collapses to the floor. "I don't need your help", says Armande with a condescending gesture then he turns to Grexas, Nosko and Zajeyu, "Do you accept the deal? Or do I let the degenerates outside massacre you?"

Mc Gruffy throws a bag of medical supplies at Grexas and says, "Take it and leave, but you owe me Grexas, not for the first time, look at what you did to my bar". Then he looks up at Nosko and says "Ok, that will cover it, thanks buddy. And here you go." Then Mc Gruffy throws another small pack of medical components at the group.

The group then charges the door of the bar; as they step outside, they notice that the body of the old man lying dead on the ground is gone. But what is there is a vehicle which type Grexas, Zajeyu and Nosko have seen before, in scavengers and privateers: a black Hummer, with two men on the front seats and a gunner on top, handling a machine gun fed with a very long line of bullets. Next to the Hummer is another vehicle, a small sports looking Buggy, with a driver, and a machine gun strapped to the side, and another gunner handling it.

The icy mist starts to turn in to a snowfall, the buildings around the four men standing just outside the bar look darkened and menacing. The sun has set, and the only light comes from the neon sign on top of the bar entrance and a few lamps down the street in both directions. The corner on both sides of the building are around 20 feet away and the street is wide, being the main avenue of St. George. The buildings in front of the bar are husks, ruins of old buildings, and they must be around 60 feet high. From the Humvee vehicle, descend two men wearing red, gold and purple clothes and rags, holding what appear to be hunting rifles. The driver of the buggy descends and draws a handgun.

A voice can be heard from the larger vehicle "Give us the sphere and lay in the floor face down, or we will kill you." Next to Grexas, Armande repeats the question, "Do you agree to our terms, then?" Grexas, Nosko and Zajeyu stare at each other.

Zajeyu turns to Armande with a look of fear and panic "We accept the offer now please tell us you have a plan to get us out of here" . Grexas turns to Armande "Yeah, please tell me you have a plan... I don't feel like dying right now." Grexas looks around for any flammable objects just in case and notices a large tank from a flamethrower strapped to the back of the humvee. If it's full it should be enough of a distraction to make an escape. "I can take them" Nosko says to the group. He looks down at his chest "If not for my guts spilling all over the place, maybe I should have accepted the med kit" He thinks to himself. He still isn't too sure about this man but sees no other options at this times. "I guess I will agree with these two and take up that offer".

Armande looks up to the three men with relief. He starts moving his hands in gestures they've never seen before, and screams out: "Distract them for a couple of seconds, then take the smaller car and flee!, I hope I see you again." he adds and then proceeds to give his leather satchel to Grexas and runs ahead, chanting words they do not understand.

Before the three mutant's eyes, the armed men walking from the vehicle towards them start moving slower. They all are reaching for their guns and lifting their rifles. They notice flashes of light slowly appearing and disappearing from the husks of buildings in front of them. Grexas assumes that comes from snipers firing their rifles. Then, something hot flies at considerable speed next to his head, but he can make out the shape of a bullet hitting the ground from above, he can even see little streaks of its trajectory. The voices of the screaming men sound distorted and grave.

Nosko notices how Armande draws its revolver, a colt that must be a .45 but looks a lot bigger, he goes in one knee and prepares to shoot. He screams at the mutants at the same time he cocks the gun. "Now, Run for it!"

Then the whole scene collapses in to chaos of fire, bullets and blood.

Nosko walks quickly over toward the driver of the small car. After realizing that everyone is in slow motion he thinks to himself "this is going to be easy". Disarming the driver he takes aim and pops one off at the gunner; his stolen gun, a desert eagle hand gun, fails at the moment, the bullet magazine falling heavily to the ground and all Nosko can hear is the click from the trigger. Behind Nosko, and also knowing that everyone is currently slowed, Zajeyu abuses the situation to try and move to the Rifleman and tries to grapple him. He successfully grapples him taking his Rifle from his hands. He then take aim at the gunner in the small car, but misses striking the building behind. Grexas draws his pistol and runs up to the side of the car, he keeps the pistol just off the gunners head and pulls the trigger; in an instant, the gunner's head explodes spattering brains everywhere. The body falling from the car in slow motion.

Around the four mutants, bullet trajectories fly at slow speed, but they notice that they are picking up. Nosko's enthusiasm that this was going to be easy, starts to wane as he turns his head to see Zajeyu's shot impacted a building across the street harmlessly. Both of them turn their heads to look at Grexas blow the Buggy driver's head off at the exact moment that Armande, on one knee, lets out a barrage from his revolver. Three shots fly from the gun, impacting on the face of the Hummer's driver, turning it in to a mass of hair, teeth and bone splashing the windshield and the passenger next to him with blood.

Time begins to turn faster, recovering from Armande's meddling with it. The three companions realize that there is definitely something not right with their new employer. At that moment, they see Armande get up and start running to the farthest corner. Turning it, he disappears from sight around the block. Then, the three riflemen still standing lift up their weapons. Two of them aim at Grexas, the last one starts running towards the corner that Armande took. From the buildings around, shots continue to be fired.

The machine gunner from the hummer, turns the contraption at Grexas, ready to take down the perilous man.

Before they can fire, Nosko springs in to action…


End file.
